I admitted to you that we had a problem eating out too much and one of the places that I have felt we spent far too many dollars over the years is McDonald’s. It is just down the road, it is inexpensive, and it is quick. I will say that it is also not good for me, not always warm, and I never feel that great after eating it.
I wanted to show you the cost difference on a store-bought Happy Meal versus the cost on a homemade Happy Meal. I do use the term “homemade” quite loosely because I am purchasing the chicken nuggets so if you wanted to save even more, you could definitely make a batch instead.
McDonald’s Happy Meal
4-Piece Chicken Nuggets
Apples
Reduced Fat Milk
Small Toy
Total Cost of Store-Bought Happy Meal- $3.19 plus tax (this is in Indiana, costs may vary depending on location)
Here is my homemade version for my children that I made for them. I have included exactly what would be included in the meal, but made at home.
Tyson 100% All Natural Chicken Nuggets- 45 per package, cost $6.55 (at our local supermarket, price may vary- I had a great coupon that I will not include in the total!)
4 Piece Nugget Equivalent- .15 each x 4= $.60
1 Gallon of Milk- 16 cups in 1 gallon, cost $1.99 (current price at our local Aldi)
1 Cup of Milk Equivalent- $.12
Apple Slices- 3 pounds for $2.99 (current price at our local Aldi)
Apple Slices- $.25 (generous amount considering how few are in the package)
Total Cost of Homemade Happy Meal- $.97
While $2.22 difference might not seem like much, if you times that by the amount of children that you have in your family plus the amount that you spend on your own meals, there is a huge cost savings to making even your own fast food at home. We try to stick to the $1 Double Cheeseburgers, but Trent, at The Simple Dollar, breaks down the cost of making those double cheeseburgers at home and found that even that price could be beat.
For me, it is hard to get out of the mindset that I shouldn’t have prepackaged foods in my house. We keep our grocery budget low by making things at home. If I am out of commission or we have had a hectic night, I am often wishing that we had a few more convenience foods in our house.
A couple of bags of chicken nuggets in the freezer for these nights would still be more cost-effective than running out to McDonald’s.
And to my poor math teacher that had to tutor me every single day after math class, I would like to thank you for believing in me and working with me over those difficult years in high school. Who would have ever dreamed that I would be putting together a story problem daily that makes my husband shake his head and roll his eyes at me? I have become obsessed with the subject I hated the most so thank you, Mr. Rossi, for never giving up on me! Thanks to your thoughtful tutoring, I have become a human calculator and can crunch numbers on diapers, price per ounces on cans, and dare I say it…even Happy Meals that would make you so proud.
Related Posts:
Boo to McDonald’s
Cracking the McDonald’s Coffee Code
Is anyone else plagued with the human calculator syndrome? What has surprised that is more cost-effective to your household budget?
35 Responses to “The Cost of a Homemade Happy Meal”
LOL *hand raised* I'm so entirely guilty! LOL
When I first started this frugal thing, I remember seeing the 5dollardinners.com site and thinking JACKPOT! Now, I think: FIVE DOLLARS? I can do that for less! LOL
I'm also guilty of being a MAJOR bibliophile who used to take monthly trips to Borders and/or Barnes & Noble for a stash of new books. Went to B&N; in SB a few months ago and just couldn't bring myselg to buy A SINGLE BOOK. Why pay full price when there's public libraries and paperbackswap.com? LOL
I have $100 in birthday money sitting in my dresser and can't think of a single thing to buy that wouldn't seem like a waste of money!
I'm SO guilty! LOL
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It is amazing how much cheaper homemade things are. In addition, they are healthier too. Apples cut up just before lunch are a lot healthier than McDonald’s apples that were cut up days before.
Thanks,
Nate
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I also try to stay away from convenience foods, but then find myself not wanting to cook diner one night and the temptation for a quick McDonald’s run is there. I’ve adjusted my food snobbery during this pregnancy, and learned to accept a few select items of convenience foods. Although not the healthiest, they are MUCH cheaper on those crazy nights than a fast food run. Thanks for the breakdown!!!
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Great idea Amy! And if the kids miss the little toy, you could always pick up a few things here and there from a 10 cents box at a yard sale for a special treat.
I love that you did this! You are doing a great job.
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For fast food, yep, this is absolutely the case. And, not only can you make it more inexpensively, but you can make it more healthy, too.
For gourmet meals, though, the evidence isn’t in your favor. Novice cooks trying to prepare fancy meals generally spend MORE than if they had just gone out. There’s always a new utensil they need, and they tend to buy specialty ingredients at high prices and produce out of season.
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Wow, you never cease to amaze me.
I love it, and you could get some cheap toys at the dollar store, maybe something they would actually want to keep. I throw away a lot of those toys because my daughter just doesn’t care for them sometimes. Keep up the good work.
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You didn’t do french fries though!! Sometimes it’s better to buy some McD french fries to satisfy a craving than go through a whole bag of store bought only to give up and go to McD later (because they don’t taste like McD!).
I try to indulge my craving once in a while (and by myself).
P.S. The more kids you’re feeding then the more savings you have. We used to only buy Happy Meals on vacation when it would be a huge treat. Lately, I’ve found myself buying them for my diabetic child when she has an endocrinology appt (every 2 months).
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Great point! I also wanted to mention that making you own cuts WAY down on packaging and environmental impact! I heard a piece the other day on all the gas wasted idling in drive thru. It was mind boggling. Just think of all the good you are doing and ALL the green you are saving!
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Great post! We gave up Happy Meals years ago, when having lots of kids made them way to pricey. I am like you in that I shunned having convenience foods in my house, because they weren’t as healthy as homemade. But, if not having them caused us to go out, then we weren’t really saving money (or our health) at all. Our main reason for kicking the fast food habit was health, but the money saving is a great side benefit!
Toni
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Hi Amy
Nico at nicostuff.com has her family on a not going out in the month of March pledge. She’s doing great,cooking all meals, and has recreated many of her family’s favorite fast food meals. Check out her blog!
Mimi
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This weekend we had homemade “Sausage Egg McMuffins with Cheese” and they were just as good as the restaurant ones.
We also have an electric fryer and can make our own french fries (with much less salt) and a soda making machine (it was at Sam’s Club and my husband requested it for Christmas from his parents) that makes soda without that high fructose corn syrup that is so bad for us.
I love your little trays; where did you get them?
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Amy,
Where did you get your plate? I love it! I am a preschool teacher and am always looking for things like that!
Thanks!
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Beth- I am so glad to know that I am not alone on this one. I feel the same way! It is so hard to not let loose even when you have the money to do it!
Nate- I didn't even think of the apple thing, but you are so right. Thanks for leaving such great comments!
The Mother- Wow, that is fascinating and I can see how that would be true. Sometimes you have to do the cost-effectiveness on even cooking from home. The benefit, of course, is that you know exactly what is going into your food.
Andy- I will have to start a little dollar store or yard sale stash so no one misses out on the toys
What a great idea!
Willo- I love the green factor, which I had not thought of, but you are so right. It always sickens me how much paper is used to put fast food meals together. So much of that could be consolidated or made from recycled materials.
Mimi- I am going to head over there right now. Thank you so much for the tip!
Toni- I am with you on these and am beginning to realize that it is okay to give myself permission to have a few of these things around when sickness or a hard day strikes. It is still cheaper in the long run! Thank you so much for the comment!
Karen & Sarah- These are my favorite little trays in the world. I got them from Target and right around Easter, it seems they usually restock these for the spring. It is over in the kitchen items. I don't know if they have this same color, but they usually stock them in pretty pastels. I use these almost every day for the kid's lunches and love the compartments on these.
Such a great discussion and I am so glad to be home chatting it up with all of you!! ((Hugs))
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My kids like the chicken nuggets from Aldi, too! I think the white meat ones are $3.99 in the freezer section.
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Michelle- It definitely could have been cheaper. I actually had a coupon for a free bag of these so I just used this higher priced bag as an example since I am sure prices vary everywhere. If you hit a sale or Aldi, the cost savings is even greater!
Love this discussion!!
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Wow! The last time we were in the market for a Happy Meal, they were only $1.99! Didn’t realize they had become so expensive! You have a great answer to the McDonald’s version, though, and I love the colorful tray.
Our commitment to limit our ‘out-to-eat’ trips to only once a week has helped our budget tremendously. Now when we go out, the kids have a much greater appreciation of the experience and can truly acknowledge it as a privilege, not as something that is expected
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Beth- I can admit that I was surprised too and thought it was less than that. It goes to show that I haven't been paying attention to the price increases at the restaurants although I seem hyper-aware when I am at the grocery store. This figure was quoted by a McDonald's employee for the apples & milk combination, but I am sure prices vary depending on drinks and side choices.
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You know, it’s not just about being frugal. By making your own “happy meals,” you are doing the environment a favor too. No waste of paper products and no plastic straw, for starters.
Great job!
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what about the price of oil, electricity and gas to heat up the chicken nuggets? Price to keep items refrigerated? then again it can be countered by price you spent on gas to head to McDonald’s.
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$1.99 for a gallon of milk? jeez, i’m in the northeast, here a gallon goes for $3.50, and that’s a deal! It’s always interesting to hear what life is like in different areas. I feel the details are telling
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Our milk has dropped in price lately and Aldi is holding steady at $1.99. Even the more expensive supermarkets are at $2 or $2.50.
It is definitely just one cost analysis. Feel free to try in your own states and brand and compare. Let me know if you blog about it!!
I love fun little games like this!
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Amy, thanks for sharing this. I’m not surprised that the cost is less expensive – but I usually stroll right on by the chicken nuggets in the store, because of how expensive they are.
However, I KNOW we by McD’s Happy Meals a few times a month, times 2 boys. Especially on the way home from baseball practice.
Hmm, wonder if there’s a way to cook the nuggets and keep them at a safe temp to eat on the way home? Would you like to do an experiment?!
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I recently moved to the middle of nowhere. There is nothing closer than 25 minutes so any fast food (that is usually not that hot to start with) is absolutely cold when brought home. From this, I learned having some convenience foods in the freezer is ok. Even getting the more expensive brands still works out cheaper and tastier than most places on those nights when no one wants to do anything.
The other thing I’ve found is Rachael Ray has some awesome recipes of Make Your Own TakeOut. Everything can be done in under 30 minutes and they freeze well too!
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I am sooo guilty of this in the last few months. We go to fast food WAY too much! If we’re home all day, I’ll even load up the car to get lunch instead of making do. Wow! Never looked at the meal at home so much cheaper. Ouch! OUch! Well, thank you for your insight. Definitely hit home for me!
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Great post! Random Question: Where did you get that cool milk glass??
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Sara- Those are my favorite glasses in the world and they are those little jugs of iced coffee you can buy at the supermarket. I peel the labels off of the Aldi ones and use them for the kid’s drinks. Thrifty AND green!!
Christi- I wonder if they would stay hot in a thermos? That might be something to try for the kids and to save a little money.
Thank you all for these comments!
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I love it!! When we eat out (usually wendy’s) I order my son the $1 chicken nuggets, share my fries with him and bring a juice box. The toys are horrible and I had been throwing them out. This inspires me to eat at home more. It is so much better.
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you say “For me, it is hard to get out of the mindset that I shouldn’t have prepackaged foods in my house. “
there’s a difference between food that’s easy to prepare and those crappy Lean Cuisine dinner things.
Pasta and a jar of sauce, premade (or homemade and frozen) pizza dough with a can of tomatoes and some veggies from the freezer, quesadillas all can be made from pantry items
I’m thinking I should move to Indiana though. Milk for $1.99 -unheard of here. It’s $4.29 at the supermarket and $2.99 at the gas station.
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Milk here in Florida is between $2.75 at Wal-Mart, and $4 at the gas stations. A 2.5 # bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloins is about $6. If you want french fries, you can find a 5 # bag of potatoes sometimes bogo @ like $4. Just pick in season produce for cheaper and healthier substitute for a savings. Then, go to Dollar Tree for some party favors. BTW, love the milk bottle idea and the trays.
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[...] The Cost of a Homemade Happy Meal [...]
This is such a great post! I would have thought it actually cost more to make a healthy version of the happy meal. We stopped eating fast food years ago & now my kids think it’s gross.
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[...] eat at restaurants. They’re too expensive. Even going to McDonalds isn’t cheap. Amy at The Motherload broke down the exact cost of a Mickey D’s Chicken McNugget Happy Meal vs a homemade version. [...]
[...] my kids love my homemade Happy Meals (and I love the cost on them), last week I wanted to switch up our Friday pizza routine so I decided to make fancy gourmet [...]